Scammers and Disasters

In the wake of Hurricane Florence, the Internal Revenue Service is reminding taxpayers that criminals take advantage of the generosity of taxpayers who want to help victims of major disasters.  Scammers use unsolicited contact by telephone, social media, e-mail or in-person using a variety of tactics.  Some impersonate charities to get money or private information from well-intentioned taxpayers.  They even claim to be working for or on behalf of the IRS to file claims and get tax refunds. To help taxpayers donate to legitimate charities, the IRS website, IRS.gov, has a search feature, Tax Exempt Organization Search, that helps users find or verify qualified charities.